Day 4: Community-based agriculture and Sterling College

This morning we visited the Intervale Center, a 350-acre agricultural nonprofit that offers several programs for mostly vegetable farming in Burlington. While most of the land is owned by Intervale, some is government-owned and managed by Intervale, and some is owned by the Calkins Family. Eleven individual farm businesses rent land plots from Intervale, and they each enjoy shared equipment, resources, space, support, and ideas. Intervale also offers a 5-year incubator farm program, recreation such as bike paths and an events barn, Summervale - a July and August community food and music festival on Thursdays, and a gleaning and food rescue program for families below 200% of the poverty line.

The Intervale Center houses two distribution models: The Intervale Community Farm and the Intervale Food Hub. The Community Farm, established in 1990, is the oldest CSA in Vermont! It's the largest farm in the Intervale, and offers year-round shares. The Food Hub was an interesting idea to me - it seemed like a cross of a multi-farm CSA and an online farmers' market. When asked if there's competition between the Food Hub and Community Farm, our tour guide Chelsea Frisbee explained that the two services appeal to very different types of customers. The Food Hub attempts to reach new markets - people who otherwise wouldn't be involved with CSAs or shopping at farmers' markets, because their products are more conveniently cleaned, packaged, and ready to eat/cook.

Next, we drove over to City Market Onion River Co-op for a tour and lunch in their prepared foods section. We learned about the history of cooperatives and their commitment to 7 principles: voluntary and open membership, democratic member control (equal shares by all members), member economic participation ($200 each), autonomy and independence, education/training/information (events and classes for community, CM members, and staff), cooperation among co-ops, and concern for the community (Rally for Change program at cash registers - rounding up to the next dollar). They have over 11,000 members. As part of an agreement with the City of Burlington, because they're the only grocery store, they have to offer at least 25% conventional food in order to appeal to the average customer and remain affordable. In 2014, 35% of their sales were Local or Made in VT. They focus strongly on their producers and farmers, with picture posters of their suppliers all over the store. They get deliveries from hundreds of farms every day, in addition to big distributors. They are the largest co-op in the state in terms of sales, and probably in terms of membership as well (but not in square feet). As part of their community engagement department and focus on farmers, local producers set up samples and demos inside the story daily.

Around 4:30pm, we arrived in Sterling College. It's super rural. There are 120 students total at Sterling, and everyone knows each other and the staff/faculty so well. We had dinner in their tiny dining hall, strictly at 5:30pm, and it was over by 6:15. Louise Calderwood, Professor of Sustainable Ag and Special Assistant to the President, spoke to us about our itinerary here, then gave us a presentation on the history of agriculture in Vermont and dairy/livestock production and feeding the planet. The next few days are going to be focused on dairy and animals -- definitely new territory for me.